I Named A Galaxy, Alison
by cheri1
Summary: 10th Doctor. Spoilers for Waters of Mars. In the preview for The End of Time, the Doctor mentioned naming a galaxy, Alison as one of the things he did to avoid coming to see Ood Sigma. Here is the story behind that. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Finally, he was able to relax enough to sit down in his jump seat. The realization of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks and the appearance of Ood Sigma terrified him more than anything ever had before. The cloister bell which had sounded like a death knell to him finally quieted down which helped to soothe his jittery nerves. But even though everything had calmed down in the TARDIS, including himself, he knew that he had witnessed another omen of his impending death.

Thinking about it, he wondered why he was so terrified. After all, he'd died nine times why would he be worried about dying again. But something about the way Ood Sigma had told him his song was ending made his hearts race with terror. It made him realize just how much time he had left. Even if this wasn't the ultimate end, he would still regenerate into his eleventh life. Eleven out of thirteen. He shook his head wondering where the time had gone. It seemed like only yesterday he had stolen his beloved ship from dry dock and now both she and him were way past their prime.

He looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't wanna die, old girl. If this is it, if this is the end for me, who'll look after you when I'm gone?"

The TARDIS gave a sympathetic grunt and nudged his mind affectionately. She wasn't used to him being so unnerved and she tried everything she could to calm him down and soothe him with her grunts and nudges and whispered telepathic words of love. She didn't like what she saw in the Doctor's mind, she didn't like that he had become so arrogant and flippant with Adelaide after defying the laws of time and rescuing her and her companions. What he had done would have gotten him vaporized if the Time Lords had still been alive and caught him. This whole lone wolf attitude upset her greatly. She knew that the Doctor needed companions to keep him on an even keel, even if he denied that fact to others and himself. She was at a loss for what to do for her old friend. She watched while he sat there, morose and guilt-plagued, as he thought over what he had done and almost did. He stayed that way for over an hour, staring unseeing at the console while she continued to fly through the vortex. Then he rose and walked over to it. The TARDIS grunted again when he began to rub the rim of the console.

"My one, true companion," he said softly as he rubbed the rim. "You've always been here for me. You've never let me down and you alone, truly understand me."

The TARDIS nudged his mind but the Doctor stopped rubbing the console and stared blankly at the monitor.

"They're calling me," he finally said as he continued to stare. "The Ood. Ood Sigma. He's summoning me. I can sense it. Oh Girl, I don't wanna go. I hate to say it but…"

He trailed off but the TARDIS knew he was afraid to tell her that he was scared to go since going meant the end was beginning.

"Forgive me," he said to no one in particular. "I can't. Not yet. I can't face them yet. It's too soon. I can't die yet. I've got other things to do first…I'll do a few things and then I'll go see them."

The TARDIS ached for her friend as he quickly inputted some coordinates and headed for Earth.

* * *

"Alison?"

Alison Jenkins looked over at her door when she saw her mother step into her room. Her mother smiled warmly at her.

"Baby, your daddy and I are going to go out for a bit but Julie will be here to look after you, alright?"

Alison nodded and smiled. Her mother felt a pang of guilt as she looked at her daughter. Just six years old, her daughter was in the final stages of leukemia and she had lost a considerable amount of weight. Her face was gaunt and her skin was slightly pale and her hair was stringy from sweating and lying in her hospital bed but Andrea was proud of her little girl. She faced the specter of death bravely and without complaint. Even though she didn't have much longer to live, only a few weeks or so, Andrea insisted on keeping her at home on hospice care and hired Julie, an RN, to provide care for her and babysit for her at times when the strain got to be too much for her and her husband, Dan, and they needed to take a break for a few hours. Which was why Julie suggested going out to eat tonight. Andrea hated to leave her little girl but Dan told her she wasn't much good to her daughter if she was exhausted and stressed out and Andrea knew he was right. She needed all her strength in the coming weeks because she didn't know if she would be able to hold up once her beloved treasure passed away.

She walked over to the bed and kissed Alison on the cheek and then on the lips before walking over to a wooden bookcase in the corner of her room. She selected a few books for her to read and brought her favorite lamb plushie, Lamb Lamb, to her, setting them down in the bed beside her before giving her another kiss. Once she was certain her water pitcher was filled and she had everything she needed, she reluctantly pulled herself away from her ailing daughter and with a blown kiss, exited the room.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Alison lay in her bed thumbing through a Richard Scarry book about life in the city. It was one of her favorite books and it was all bent and dog-eared from carrying it everywhere. She took a small sip of water and had a few bites of potato chips, barbecue Lays potato chips, her favorite. As she chewed them, she suddenly heard a strange wheezing sound outside. The window was directly beside the head of her bed. Her bed had wheels and her mother moved the bed to the window during the day so she could watch her fellow New Yorkers passing by. Directly across the way was an alley and as she watched, she could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw a blue box magically appear. She kept her eyes riveted to it and smiled when a tall thin man with unruly brown hair stepped outside, looked around and walked away. She stared at the blue box waiting for something else to happen but it just sat there. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to risk the wrath of Julie by going outside and seeing this magic box up close. She slid out of bed, slid her feet into her Spongebob slippers and grabbed her lavender jacket, throwing it on over her Scooby doo nightgown. She zipped up the jacket, opened her door and quietly tiptoed down the hall. She paused at the end of the hall where the door to the kitchen lay to the left of her. Ahead was the living room and she could see Julie sitting on the couch with her back to her as she watched Lost. She quietly snuck into the kitchen and headed to the front door on the far right wall. Quietly, she turned the handle, opened it just enough for her to slip out and then shut it quietly behind her. Once she was sure she was safe and Julie wasn't coming after her, she padded down the concrete steps to the sidewalk and after looking both ways, headed across the street to the magical blue box.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Alison approached the magical box with some trepidation in case someone else was inside it. She stood in front of the wooden box staring at it quietly. She'd never seen anything like it before. She put her hand on the door, feeling the cold wood beneath her fingers. She stared at the directions on the left door. She could make out a few words on it but the gist of the message was lost to her. Finally, summoning her courage, she knocked on the door.

"Hello?" she said in a high-pitched voice.

She was standing in front of the left door and jumped back when the right door slowly opened up, throwing a rectangular patch of light into the alleyway. She froze, her heart racing, but no one appeared at the door. Curiosity finally got the better of her and she peeked inside. She was shocked when she saw the interior. Even more curious, she padded inside.

"Hello?" she called out. "I'm sorry, I just wanna see inside."

There was no answer so she closed the door and walked over to the console. She stared at everything on it, wondering what the doodads were on it.

"Weird," she said as she ran her finger over the glass paperweight.

Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the front door begin to open. Thinking fast, she dove down underneath the console and brought her knees up to her chest, hoping whoever it was wouldn't hear her heart thudding inside her chest. Her heartbeat increased when she heard someone walking over the grating towards her. Then she was a pair of legs and she squeezed her legs further towards her chest. She stared at the blue trouser legs, white tennis shoes and the bottom of a tan trench coat and recognized them as belonging to the man who left earlier. She tried not to breathe too loudly as the man stood in front of her.

"Well," she heard him say, "wasn't much out there, I'll try somewhere else."

Then she heard a loud grumbling sound coming from overhead.

"What?" the man said.

Alison frowned, thinking it was strange that the man was talking to himself. Thinking he might be insane, she kept very quiet and very still. Then she heard another loud grumbling.

"There is? Where?"

There was more grumbling and then Alison gasped when the man bent down and smiled at her. He gasped when Alison lunged up, banging her head on the underside of the console in the process.

"Wait! Please! Come back!" the man yelled to her as Alison made a beeline for the door.

Alison reached the door and was just about to fling it open when the man grabbed her shoulder.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M SORRY!" she screamed.

"No, it's alright, please, I won't hurt you, calm down!" the man said.

Alison felt his hand on her back.

"Calm down, it's alright," he said soothingly. "I won't hurt you. What's your name?"

"Alison," she said in a soft voice.

"Hello, Alison, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor?"

"That's right," he said soothingly, "nice to meet you."

Alison turned around slowly. She looked up at him and took in the kind brown eyes, warm smile and unruly brown hair. The smile quickly faded when the Doctor finally got a good look at Alison and he knelt down beside her.

"What's happened to you?" he asked as he smoothed her hair away from her face.

"I'm sick," Alison said. "I have leukemia. Julie didn't tell you?"

"Julie? Who's Julie?"

"My nurse. She didn't call you? You said you were the doctor."

The Doctor smiled.

"My name is the Doctor. I'm not a doctor….well, I am, but I'm not your doctor."

"If you're a doctor, is this your ambulance cause it's a freaky lookin' ambulance."

The Doctor chuckled.

"No, this is my ship…it's called a TARDIS."

"TARDIS?"

"That's right. It's stands for time and relative dimension in space. It's a time machine."

Alison gave him a "Yeah, right," look.

"Seriously," the Doctor said.

"Mister, I might be a kid, but I'm not dumb," she said.

He chuckled and nodded.

"No, you aren't. I can tell that just from looking at you. But, I can see it'll take some convincing so how about I show you that I can go anywhere in time and space."

He winced when she suddenly became frightened again and he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"I won't hurt you, I give you my word," he said.

"Yeah, but mommy said not to go anywhere with strangers."

"Then why did you stop when I came up behind you? I wasn't holding on to you that tightly, you could have run away."

Alison thought about that.

"Cause you seem like a nice person," she finally said.

"I am a nice person and I swear I won't hurt you or kidnap you or take you away where you'll never see your parents again. I just want to prove to you that I can go anywhere in time and space."

"What about my mommy and daddy? I'm s'posed to be in bed and if they come home and find me gone, they'll be upset."

"Well, I can bring you back to nearly this same time so they'll never know you were gone."

Alison stared at him. The longer she looked at him, the more she liked him and she was curious to see if the ship really could go anywhere in time and space.

"Okay, show me," she said.

He smiled at that, stood up and took her hand. She put her hand in his and he led her back to the jump seat. While she sat there, she watched with fascination as he did a manic dance around the console, throwing switches and flipping levers.

"I think I know where to take you," he said as he ran around the console. "I think a sweet little girl like you would get a thrill out of seeing a galaxy up close."

Alison was intrigued by that and giggle softly as she watched him continue running around the console before he finally let out a sigh and sat down beside her. She pointed to the rotor as it oscillated.

"What's that?"

"Um, it's like an engine of sorts," he said, putting his feet up on the rim of the console. "So, while we're winging our way to the furthest reaches of the universe, why don't we have a little Q and A? How old are you?"

"Six. How old are you?"

"I'm nearly nine hundred and five."

He chuckled when her eyes popped out of her head.

"Huh? You're not that old. No person lives to be that old," she said to him.

"Ah, but you're assuming I'm human and I'm not."

"What are you then?"

"I'm an alien."

Alison grew quiet for a moment while the Doctor studied her.

"Are you gonna ram things up my butt like they do in the movies?" she finally said.

The Doctor burst out laughing at that and put his arm around her.

"No, I promise I won't ram things up your butt," he said.

"Phew, that's a relief," he said as the Doctor snickered. "So this is your spaceship?"

"Spaceship and timeship, takes me anywhere I want in time and space which is why I thought I'd show you a galaxy first," he said.

He grew serious.

"How long have you been ill?" he asked her.

"'bout a year. Mommy keeps pretending I'll get better but I've snuck out and heard her and daddy talking and I'm gonna die soon."

The Doctor's hearts' ached at that.

"Are you scared?" he asked her with curiosity.

Alison thought for a moment.

"A little bit, I guess. But mommy said that there's nothing to be scared of because when I die, I'm gonna go to Heaven and see my Nana and Papaw and be with God and the angels."

The Doctor nodded. He stared at his new friend, agonizing over what he should do. He wanted so much to help her, to cure her, but after Adelaide, after seeing Ood Sigma, he was scared to risk playing God again even if Alison's timeline was in flux. His hubris and his out of control ego were what would ultimately condemn him to death, he was sure of it, and he dared not make it worse and risk his death being brought closer to him. He loathed himself for feeling that way. Only hours before, he felt like he had time and space in the palm of his hand and he could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, now he was scared to act on behalf of one sick little human girl and because of that, she would die and it would be one more death on his conscience. Without realizing it, he had become silent and morose and Alison had noticed it.

"Hey," she said, tapping his leg, "you okay?"

The Doctor looked at her, conflicted about what to tell her. But he realized she had been truthful with him so he decided to do the same.

"I'm going to die too," he said softly.

Alison studied him.

"You have leukemia too?"

He shook his head.

"No, my death will come suddenly," he said to her.

"How you know?"

"Someone told me I would die. This alien called an Ood. His name's Ood Sigma. He warned me I would die soon."

"Are you scared?"

Without thinking, the Doctor said…

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Doctor thought about that.

"I'm afraid of not existing anymore," he finally said.

"Are you a good alien?" Alison asked.

The Doctor thought about that.

"I like to think I am."

"Then you'll go to Heaven like me and we can be friends there."

The Doctor smiled at that.

"I'd like that," he said, patting her leg.

"Mommy says it won't hurt when I die, maybe it won't hurt for you too," she said.

"I hope not. I've…actually died before."

Alison gave him a confused look.

"When my people are fatally injured or their bodies are worn out, they can die but come back to life in a brand new body and we can do this twelve times."

"How many times have you done it?"

"Nine."

Alison counted on her fingers.

"You get to have a new body three more times then?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you worried about not existing?"

"Cause sometimes if we're hurt very badly, we die for real and I'm scared that this time is the die for real time."

"Then you come to Heaven and we can be friends."

"I don't know if I can. I don't really know if there is a Heaven, to be honest."

Alison thought about that.

"I think there is cause I've seen Nana and Papaw sometimes in my room at night and they come to me in my dreams when I'm sleeping and they tell me not to worry. So I'll tell you not to worry too, Doctor. I think you'll be okay."

The Doctor smiled tenderly at her.

"Thank you, Alison," he said.

"You're welcome. I gotta keep telling myself that too cause I get scared sometimes but I think that's when Papaw and Nana come and tell me it's gonna be okay cause they'll be waiting for me and I'll do that for you. I'll wait for you so you'll have a friend when you get to Heaven if you're gonna die for real."

The Doctor put his arm around her and gave her a hug.

"Thank you. I need a friend right now."

"Well, you're talking to the right person then cause I'll be your friend no matter what! In fact…"

The Doctor frowned as she spit on her hand.

"Let's be spit brothers," she said.

"Spit brothers?" the Doctor said, frowning.

"Yeah, kinda like blood brothers except I don't like blood. Just spit in your hand and grab mine and we'll swear to be bestest buddies forever!"

The Doctor's hearts warmed at that. He spit into his hand and grabbed hers.

"Bestest buddies forever?" Alison said.

"Bestest buddies forever," the Doctor said as they shook hands.

"There you go," Alison said as she wiped the saliva off on her nightgown. "Now you have a friend that's gonna be in Heaven waiting for ya, so you don't have to be scared anymore."

The Doctor's eyes misted over as he gave her a sideways hug and kissed her cheek. Just then there was a slight lurch and the ship stopped.

"Aha, my little spit brother," he said, standing up. "Here we are, come with me and I'll show you a galaxy."

"Lead the way, spit brother!" Alison said, hopping off the jump seat.

The Doctor took her hand and they walked to the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Alison followed her new friend as he bounded towards the door. He paused at the door and grinned at her.

"Ready to be proven wrong?" he said.

"Yeah but we're in space, right?"

"Yes, we are."

"If you open the doors, will we die? Cause I've seen that in movies too."

"No, my ship will protect us and keep the air inside. We'll be okay."

"Oh, okay, then go ahead."

The Doctor threw the doors open dramatically and took Alison's hand. She came up beside him and he pointed to an enormous cluster of stars in the distance that had a kind of corkscrew shape to them.

"There ya go, a galaxy. And not the Milky Way galaxy, a completely different one waaaaaaay on the other side of the universe," he said to her.

"What's it called?" Alison asked him.

"Um…I believe it's called RU 678-23."

"What? That's a stupid name."

The Doctor laughed.

"Yes, it is actually. Not very creative, huh?"

"No."

He smiled when he noticed Alison was staring at the galaxy in silent wonder. He felt a bit of comfort knowing that even if he couldn't save her, at least he was bringing a little happiness and joy and wonder back into her life. He suddenly had a marvelous idea for where to take her and what to do for the next part of the demonstration.

"Alison, are you hungry?" he asked.

"Um, a little bit, why?"

"Would you like to have a picnic with me?"

Alison grinned and nodded.

"Okay, for the next part of our show me session, I'll take you to Hyde Park in London in 1880 and we'll have a nice little picnic together."

* * *

After packing a light picnic lunch in a wicker basket and grabbing an old red blanket from a cupboard, the Doctor gave Alison some lavender sweat pants, a sweater and some plimsols that the TARDIS provided for him and then the TARDIS took them to the middle of Hyde Park in 1880. Once Alison had changed her clothes, they stepped outside, the Doctor carrying the basket and Alison carrying the folded up blanket. The Doctor closed the door, spied a nearby tree and started to walk towards it.

"Hey!"

The Doctor stopped and looked back at Alison when she called out to him.

"Aren't you gonna lock your TARDIS?" she asked.

"Lock it?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, whenever my mommy and daddy leave the car, they push this button on the keychain and the car goes boop boop and the headlights flash, aren't you gonna do that?"

"Well, actually, it doesn't work like that…but…"

The Doctor suddenly got a silly idea. He set the basket down and ran back to the TARDIS.

"Wait right here, Alison. I gotta have a chat with my ship," he said, going inside.

"Huh?" Alison said as she watched the Doctor through the open door.

She became even more confused when she noticed the Doctor was standing there, looking up at the ceiling while he was talking to thin air. He took a metal key out of his pocket and was pointing to it while he talked. Five minutes later, he came outside and shut the door.

"Okay, I think my TARDIS has got the gist of what you're saying," he said to her.

"What do you mean?"

"My TARDIS is alive."

"It is?"

"She…she's alive and she understands what I'm saying and what you say and she is very intelligent. In fact, if this goes well, we just created a little private joke between you, me and her. Watch."

He showed her the key.

"Now this doesn't have a keychain on it but I'll pretend there's a button on the back end of the key here, so watch."

He stood sideways while Alison watched. Grasping the end of the key between his thumb and index finger, he raised it and flicked his wrist at the TARDIS. He grinned when the TARDIS made a boop boop sound while the light in its lantern flashed two times and then there was a thunk as it pretended to lock. He bowed when Alison clapped at that.

"Thank you, now the TARDIS is locked," he said as Alison giggled.

"That was cool!" Alison said as the Doctor put the key back in his pocket, picked up the basket and they walked towards the tree.

"Yes, it was. My TARDIS does have a sense of humor which is nice," he said to her as they walked.

While they walked, Alison looked around and noticed several people were also having picnics or walking along the dirt path that was nearby. The ladies had on long dresses and elegant hats while the men had on grey, brown or black suits. The sun was shining down with few clouds in the sky and birds flew around the park and sat in the trees singing to each other. Alison giggled when she noticed a couple of squirrels chasing each other up the trees.

"This is pretty," Alison said.

"Yup, London is a wonderful city in any time period," the Doctor said as they reached the tree.

He set the basket down and helped Alison spread the blanket out underneath the leaves. Once that was done they sat down beside each other and the Doctor opened the basket. He took out two cups and a small carton of milk. He poured the milk for Alison before he reached inside and took out a thermos of hot tea for himself. The TARDIS had given them ham sandwiches and some French fries. The Doctor grabbed a paper plate and some plastic cutlery and put the sandwich on the plate for Alison while she sipped her milk.

"Would you like some chips to go with this?" he said.

She nodded and he took out a plastic bag filled with the fries. Alison frowned when he opened it and carefully put it on her plate.

"I thought you said chips," she said.

"I did…Oh! I meant chips as in French fries."

"Well, why didn't you say French fries, you dork?"

She giggled when the Doctor eyed her.

"Because here in England, French fries are called chips."

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh, they most certainly are," he said as he set bottles of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise down beside the basket.

"What do they call potato chips in England then?" she asked him.

"Crisps."

Alison thought about that and smiled.

"I like that cause chips are crispy," she said.

"Yes, they are," the Doctor said as he put his sandwich on his plate and grabbed his tiny bag of chips.

"Do you like…crisps?" Alison said, wanting to use the new word properly.

"I do. Love em, you?"

"Yeah, I like barbecue, that's my favorite."

"Ooo, so do I. Barbecue crisps are delicious."

She giggled.

"Thank you for taking me here," she said.

"Aw, thank you for coming. Always love meeting new friends and showing them time and space. Although, I noticed you hit your head pretty hard when you came out from under my console…"

He gently checked the top of her head and winced when he saw the knot.

"Ooo, sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you and make you hurt yourself," he said.

"S'alright. It didn't hurt that bad. I've had a lot worse pain from bein' sick."

The Doctor's hearts ached. Guilt and indecision plagued his mind again as he concentrated on eating his sandwich.

"What's wrong, Doctor?"

He swallowed the bit of sandwich in his mouth.

"Alison, I…I do more than just travel around like this. I help people sometimes."

"You do?"

"Mm-hmm. But I have to be very careful about who I help because sometimes some things are meant to happen and there's no way to change it. I have a way to tell when I can help someone and when I can't. My kind are born with that ability."

He glanced at Alison and noticed she was listening in silent fascination. He stared at the ground, not wanting to look into her eyes.

"When I heard that you were sick and going to die, I wanted to help make you better but I'm afraid to."

"Why?"

"Cause…before I met you, I was on Mars and there was a group of people there and they were all s'posed to die cause it was one of those had to happen sort of things but…I went ahead and saved three of them anyway."

"You did?"

"Mm-hmm," the Doctor said, keeping his eyes on his sandwich as he held it in his hand. "I wasn't s'posed to save them…well, at least one woman in particular because her death inspired her granddaughter to go explore space like she did and she helps the human race to colonize space which is what is supposed to happen but…"

He looked into Alison's brown eyes, pleading for understanding.

"I've seen a lot in my nine hundred years, Alison. I've seen people die, over and over and over, and I'm sick of it and I thought perhaps I could cheat just this once and save someone so I wouldn't have to watch them die but…she went ahead and killed herself anyway because I told her that she was meant to die."

Alison was silent for a moment and then she put her sandwich down on her plate, scooted closer to the Doctor and hugged him. The Doctor fought back the tears as he put his arm around her and rubbed her back.

"I don't blame you if you saw people dying over and over and over. I'd get sick of it too," Alison said to him.

"But now you're dying and I'm scared to do something to help you because I think what I did is the thing that's going to cause my death."

"Like you're being punished?"

He nodded.

"For saving people?" Alison said in disbelief.

"Yes, but sometimes some people have to die. Some things just have to happen and there's nothing I can do to stop it and it frustrates me sometimes and makes me mad because I wanna help and I can't."

"And you don't want me to die?"

"No, Alison, I don't," he said, stroking her hair. "You're the last person I wanna see die."

"But…you said some things are meant to be. And my death must be meant to be cause Papaw and Nana said so," she said. "You said that woman's death was good cause it helped a lot of people. Maybe my death will help people too."

At the moment, the Doctor failed to see how a six year old's death could benefit anybody but thinking on it, he thought that perhaps her family might start a foundation in her name to battle leukemia and help find a cure or someone in her family might be inspired by her courage and have to strength to fight their own battle with cancer or some other disease. He had to admit that he felt himself becoming more courageous in the face of his death just because of this brave little girl who was taking everything in stride. But it still didn't seem fair to him that a sweet, innocent girl like Alison had to die when so many evil people got to live.

"You know what?" Alison finally said after a moment's thought.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"If I die first, I'm gonna go ask God about you and if you can come to Heaven and be with me cause I don't think you should be punished for being nice and trying to save people from dying."

The Doctor smiled at that and hugged her.

"Thank you, Alison, that would make me feel better," he said to her.

"And don't worry about me, okay? I'm gonna be okay and I'll keep an eye on you when I get to Heaven cause you and me are spit brothers now and we look out for each other, okay?"

"Okay," he said, trying to keep from crying.

He held her tightly and rubbed her back before the two of them went back to eating their meals and making small talk.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

After they were finished with their picnic, they took everything back to the TARDIS and Alison changed back into her nightgown, slippers and jacket while the Doctor put everything away. While he was doing that, he grabbed two perception filters from his lab since he wanted to take Alison back into her house and make sure she was tucked in and safe before he left. By the time he was done, Alison was back in the console room, sitting on the jump seat.

"Is there anywhere else you wanna go?" the Doctor asked.

"Not really, I'm kinda tired now," Alison said, rubbing her eye.

The Doctor gave her a sympathetic look and nodded as he kissed her cheek.

"Then I'll take you back home and you can get some sleep," he said to her as he programmed in the coordinates.

"Thank you for taking me."

"Thank you for coming."

"What are you gonna do now?" Alison asked as she swung her legs back and forth.

"Dunno. I usually just go to random places but…"

"But what?"

"Well, you know that Ood, the one who predicted my death. He's calling to me to come to him," the Doctor said as he paused at his controls.

"How come?"

"He wants to see me and I'm scared to go because I know it's something to do with my death."

"Doctor, are you coming inside with me when we get back home?"

"I'd like to. I have these…magic keys that'll make us invisible."

Alison's eyes widened.

"Really?" she said.

"Yes, but we have to be very quiet because if we talk loudly, Julie will be able to see us."

"Okay. I'm glad you're coming inside with me because I have something I wanna give you that'll help you not be so scared anymore."

The Doctor wondered what it could be as he finished starting up the TARDIS and took it into the vortex.

__________________

The Doctor slowly opened the front door and peered into the darkened kitchen.

"Okay, follow me and remember, be quiet or Julie'll see us," he whispered to Alison.

"Okay," Alison whispered back.

Alison took the lead and led him to her bedroom. They noticed that Julie was still on the couch watching Lost as they snuck by her and went to Alison's room. Alison opened the door and the Doctor looked around at the cheerful little room with floral wallpaper and small pictures of animals, Spongebob, Scooby Doo and Strawberry Shortcake that had been taped to the walls. His hearts ached when he saw the ugly hospital bed where a pretty children's bed should be. Alison walked over to the bed, grabbed Lamb Lamb and held it out to the Doctor.

"This is Lamb Lamb. I want you to have her cause she helps me when I get scared and I think she'll help you too," she whispered.

"Oh, Alison, no, I couldn't," the Doctor said.

"No, I want you to have her cause you can look after her when I'm gone. Mommy said Lamb Lamb can't come to Heaven with me and she'll help you be brave like she helped me be brave. Please?"

This time the Doctor couldn't help the tear that fell down his cheek as he nodded and took the little white stuffed lamb from her. He smiled when he noticed it was worn in places and he could tell it had been loved and carried for many years. He held it close to him.

"I'll take good care of it for you," he whispered.

"Good cause I think you need a friend and Lamb Lamb's been a good friend," Alison replied.

As he put Lamb Lamb in his pocket, she got back into the bed and the Doctor helped tuck her in and put her books down at the foot of it. He poured her a glass of water and helped her drink it. Once she was finished, he took the perception filter off her neck.

"Better take back my magic key," he said. "Knowing you, you'd use it to get into all sorts of mischief."

She giggled and kissed his lips.

"Doctor, can I ask you a favor?" she whispered.

"What?" he whispered back.

"I know you don't like people dying but will you come back when I going to die and be with me so I can see you again?"

The Doctor swallowed hard at that but he knew that it would mean so much for Alison to have him there so he nodded.

"I promise I'll be with you on the day you go to Heaven," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Good. You be good in the meantime and go have some fun and don't let those Ood people push you around. You show those bossy bullies who's in charge!"

The Doctor giggled at that and nodded.

"I'll do that," he said, winking at her.

He kissed her cheek and put her nose against it.

"Goodnight, Doctor, I love you."

"I love you too, Alison. Get some sleep now. Pleasant dreams."

Alison let out a little yawn.

"Okay, see you later," she said, closing her eyes.

"You too, my little spit brother," he said, laying his hand on her head.

He kept it there for a few minutes, watching quietly until she drifted off to sleep. When he knew she was fast asleep, he gave her another gentle kiss on the cheek before he quietly made his way to the front door. Once he was outside, he used the sonic screwdriver to lock it and then walked back to his TARDIS. When he was inside, he walked over to his console and rubbed the rim.

"Old girl, I need your help," he said, trying not to let his voice crack. "I need your help so I can keep a promise to Alison. I need you to find out what day she dies and take me there so I can be with her."

* * *

(Twenty Four days later…)

The TARDIS powered down and the Doctor swallowed hard as he reached into his trouser pocket and fingered Lamb Lamb. He checked the date and noticed that even though it had been minutes for him it had been a little over three weeks for Alison. His hearts hurt and he again thought about how unfair it was that she had been given so little time to live when others more deserving of death lived on. Shaking that thought from his mind, he bolstered his courage while the TARDIS stroked his mind and gave him support. Then once he was sure he would be able to endure what was to come, he walked outside, put the perception filter back on and headed across the street to bid his friend goodbye.

* * *

Unlike the other day, the mood inside the house was somber the moment he snuck in. He could hear a female crying and he fought hard to keep his own tears from flowing as he made his way towards Alison's bedroom. He paused at the hallway and saw a woman, who he assumed was Alison's mother, crying while she sat on a sofa surrounded by other people and who he thought was her husband since he was holding her close and kissing her. He could see Julie sitting on a chair beside the TV quietly watching everything. She was the only one who was calm but he could still see the pain in her eyes. Forcing himself to turn, he made his way down the hallway to Alison's room. He opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when no one was inside except her. But his hearts lurched when he saw how deathly pale she was and heard her death rattle and he forced his feet to take him towards the bed where his friend lay dying. He sat down beside her and hoped he wouldn't wake her but the pressure on the bed made her eyes open and she stared up blearily at the Doctor. The Doctor's hearts warmed when a small, weak smile spread over her face.

"You came," she said in a whisper.

"I promised I would. I wouldn't let my spit brother down," he said, trying to keep calm.

"I missed you. I kept watching the alley over there for the TARDIS," she said in between rattling breaths. "But I knew you'd come today cause Nana told me I was gonna die."

The Doctor swallowed hard and nodded.

"I'll be here as long as it takes, I'm not going anywhere, Alison," he said. "But I have the magic key on so only you can see me, so don't give me away."

"Okay," she whispered.

The Doctor took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Want some water?" he whispered.

"A little."

The Doctor took the water glass and helped lift her head up. Alison managed a couple of sips before she thanked the Doctor. He sat it back down and took hold of her hand again, watching and keeping vigil as Alison closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Minutes became hours as the Doctor kept vigil over his friend. Occasionally, she would wake up and take a sip of water but he could see she was becoming weaker and starting to slip away. Whenever someone else entered the room, the Doctor would quickly get up before they came in and stand in the corner, watching with heavy hearts at the drama that was unfolding before him.

Then, three hours into the vigil, Alison's eyes opened and started to fix as her death rattle became more pronounced. The Doctor stayed in the corner, watching. He hated being away from her, especially since she asked for him to be there but with all her relatives and Julie in the room, he couldn't risk being touched and exposed so he was forced to watch while Julie administered morphine to her and her relatives kissed her and told her goodbye.

Then the moment finally came. Alison took one last gasp and her breath rattled out for the last time. The Doctor closed his eyes in anguish as Alison's mother collapsed into her husband's arms, crying hysterically. The Doctor opened his eyes and was astonished when he saw a white mist rising out of Alison's body. The white mist moved around the room, pausing at each person present but only the Doctor seemed to notice it. Then finally it came over to him after it came to everyone else. It hovered in front of his face and he felt an overwhelming surge of love and peace in his psyche. Then he heard Alison's voice in his mind.

"Goodbye, Doctor. I love you."

Then the mist vanished and the Doctor slumped against the wall, stunned. It took a few moments for him to recover enough for him to slowly walk out of the crowded room. He walked out of the house and across the street. He remained calm until he reached the inner confines of his TARDIS. Then when the door was closed and he reached the jump seat, he pulled Lamb Lamb out of his pocket and slumped onto the jump seat, crying for the loss of a very dear and brave little girl.

It took nearly an hour before he was able to calm himself enough to get up and perform the necessary maneuvers to take the TARDIS into the vortex.

* * *

A few hours later, the Doctor was standing at his open door, Lamb Lamb in his hands as he stared quietly at RU 678-23. Tears ran down his face while he stared blankly at it. Then he patted the side of the doorway.

"You know what, Old Girl? Alison's right. RU 678-23 is a dumb name. I think a better name for this galaxy is Alison. What do you think?"

The TARDIS grunted and nudged his mind. He smiled.

"That's what I'll call it then. Alison," he said.

He stood for a few more minutes, clutching Lamb Lamb and holding the plushie to his chest before he stepped back and closed the doors. He walked over to his console and paused a moment in reflection before looking up at the ceiling.

"I need one more favor from you, Old Girl…"

* * *

The Doctor paused for a moment outside the door to the funeral home. The TARDIS had jumped ahead a few days to the day of her funeral. He was wearing his perception filter so he could observe the funeral unnoticed. He slowly turned the knob of the front door and peeked in. No one was in the front lobby so he stepped inside and closed the door. Across the room was a wooden podium with a guest book on it. The Doctor walked over to it and stood there for a moment in silent debate before picking up the small black ballpoint pen above the white book. He simply wrote Doctor in the next empty space and then set the pen down again before took a small memorial pamphlet from a nearby holder. He then turned to his left and headed towards a wooden door that had a white stained glass window in the center of it. He stared the rose in the window for a moment before he silently turned the knob and slipped inside.

Beyond the door was a large room with blue wallpaper and sofas and chairs scattered around it. Crystal lamps with white lampshades on them sat on wooden tables next to most of the furniture, filling the room with soft light. At the far end was an open doorway and he could see the next room had rose colored wallpaper and a few lamps mounted on the walls. He saw some folding chairs and some people dressed in black and grey dresses and suits talking quietly to one another. He walked over and paused at the doorway, peering in. At the front of the room, Alison lay in a white coffin. Inside the coffin, the lining above her head had a Precious Moments angel that had brown hair that matched Alison's hair color. It was sitting on a little white cloud playing a little golden harp. Beside it Rest In Peace was written in gold embroidered letters. On the end of the casket was a large funeral bouquet of red roses with a white ribbon hanging down from it that said From Mommy And Daddy on it in gold lettering. Around the casket were funeral bouquets, wreaths and little potted plants from various people, all set up for display. Organ music was being piped in overhead from a speaker and there was a podium set up near the casket with a microphone attached to it. The smell of Lysol hung heavy in the air and the Doctor wrinkled his nose at it.

The Doctor moved up towards the casket. As he passed by the mourners, he saw Julie sitting two rows from the front and Alison's mother and father in the front row directly in front of the casket. He recognized several other family members but there were many more he didn't know. He walked to the front to the open casket. He checked to make sure no one could see him and when he was satisfied that he was going unnoticed, he turned his attention back to Alison and smiled. She was wearing a white dress with lace on the collar and short sleeves. Her hair was brushed and slightly curled. Her cheeks had been padded out and makeup had been applied, giving her a cherubic appearance. The Doctor smiled when he saw a Richard Scarry book in her hands. He recognized the life in the city book as one that had been on her bed the night he brought her back from her trip. He touched her hand and swallowed hard when he felt how icy cold the skin was.

He looked behind his shoulder and then leaned over close to Alison's face as he reached into his pocket.

"Hey there, little spit brother," he whispered to her, "I have a present for ya."

He pulled out a TARDIS key, gently lifted the pillow under her head and put the key under it.

"Whenever you get bored of Heaven and the angels, come and visit me," he whispered to her. "I'm giving you this and making you an official companion. Rest in peace, my bestest buddy, and thank you for helping a tired, jaded old alien."

He kissed her cheek and touched her hand before stepping back and going to stand at the back of the room. Eventually the minister came in, walked to the podium and began the service while the Doctor listened. After he spoke, her father and a few more family members gave eulogies before the service was concluded. The family then went up to the casket one at a time to say goodbye. The Doctor waited and watched while the pillow was lowered and the casket closed and locked.

"Goodbye, Alison," he said softly before he left the room and snuck out the front door.

___________________

(Two weeks later…)

The Doctor bolted inside the TARDIS, slammed the door shut and sprinted to the console. He worked feverishly and took his ship into the vortex as the Queen's guards pounded on the door. The pounding ceased the moment the ship vanished and he slumped into the jump seat, exhausted.

"Well," he gasped, "now I know why Bessie was so sore at me before."

He exhaled a long breath as his hearts rate dropped back to normal.

"Right! Getting married to the non-virgin queen was a humongous mistake that I won't ever repeat again," he said aloud. "What's next on the agenda then?"

He realized as he sat there that the past two weeks of constant activity coupled with witnessing Alison's death and funeral had taken their toll on him and he realized he needed a nap. Leaving the TARDIS in the vortex, he rose and headed out of the room.

* * *

Once he reached his room, he lay down on top of the covers and drifted off to sleep. He quickly fell into a deep sleep. Suddenly, he found himself standing in the middle of a field. The grass was swaying, being blown around by a light, warm summer breeze. In front of him was a large hill. He headed towards it, glancing up overhead at the brilliant blue, cloudless sky and then sun shining overhead. He reached the top of the hill and stood there with his mouth agape.

In the distance, beyond a flowing shimmering river was a large oak tree. Under the tree was a red blanket that had been spread out. A wicker picnic basket was on it and sitting beside the basket was Alison, wearing the same dress she had worn in the casket. She waved at the Doctor.

"Hi-eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she squealed. "Wanna have a picnic with meeeeeeeeeee?"

The Doctor smiled, wanting to be with her and to his shock, he was instantly by her side. He looked around in shock and confusion.

"What? What happened? How'd I get over here?"

"Oh, that's easy here. You just think of where you want to go and you instantly go there."

"Here? Where's here?"

"Heaven, silly."

She pointed off to her left and the Doctor finally noticed a splendid city in the distance made of silver with golden domed roofs. The buildings sparkled and glowed and the Doctor was stunned by their beauty. Outside the city limits were several more trees and she could see the river wound around and created a natural barrier between them and the city. He took a step towards it, wanting to see more.

"No, you can't go there beyond the water. Only people who died are allowed to go. That's why I'm over here so we can talk."

He looked at her. Alison looked healthy and beautiful. There were no signs of sickness now and her skin shone with an otherworldly radiance. The Doctor sat down beside her and Alison scooted closer.

"You were at my funeral. I was there too with Nana and Papaw."

"I had to come. To say goodbye one last time," the Doctor said.

Alison giggled.

"What?" the Doctor said with amusement.

"You don't have to say goodbye. I'll always be with you. In fact…"

She held out her hand. There was a flash and the TARDIS key appeared in her hand.

"I have this now so I can visit ya lots and lots. Thank you for giving it to me."

"Think nothing of it, my little spit brother."

"Ooo, guess what!"

"What?" the Doctor said.

"I asked God 'bout ya and he says you can come here when you die for real so we get to be bestest buddies forever!"

"I'll look forward to it," the Doctor said.

"I also asked him 'bout what you did on Mars and he said he understands cause you did what you did cause you loved those people and didn't want them to die, not cause you were trying to be evil."

The Doctor swallowed hard and nodded. Alison stood up and put her arms around his neck as she leaned into his ear.

"He also says that sometimes your ego does get to be too big for your britches."

The Doctor laughed at that and smiled when Alison kissed his cheek before she sat back down.

"So, whatcha gonna do now?" she asked him.

"Dunno, haven't decided. I s'pose do a bit more travelin'," the Doctor said.

"Cool, but…I think you should go talk to the Ood very soon and find out what they want."

"I'm still scared to do that."

Alison took his hand.

"It doesn't hurt to die, Bestest Buddy, I promise."

He smiled.

"Another friend told me that once in my eighth life," he said.

Alison nodded sagely and patted his hand.

"If you don't wanna go now, then don't but you need to go soon cause you need to save more peoples."

"You think that's what the Ood want?"

"Maybe. Go see. Don't be afraid of those big, bossy bullies. You show em who's boss!"

"Yeah! I'm not afraid! I'll walk right up to Ood Sigma and tell him he's not the boss of me!"

"Yeah!" Alison said, giggling. "Maybe you could show him our private joke too."

"What, the car alarm thing?"

"Yeah, it's funny. I'll come with ya when you do it so I can watch."

"Okay, it's a deal. Although…I'm not sure the Ood can laugh. I've never heard them do it before."

"Maybe they will if you show them our joke."

He grinned and nodded.

"So…you gonna go now?" Alison asked.

The Doctor looked at his hands.

"Not just yet. I wanna do one more thing first, have one last party before I go, just in case I do die for real this time."

Alison nodded.

"I'll watch then and wait for you to go."

The Doctor smiled at that. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw an elderly man and woman appear just beyond the river.

"Alison, come with us. It's time for him to wake up now," the man said.

"Wake up? You mean this is just a dream?" the Doctor said sadly.

No, your soul came here but you're about to go back so I'm gonna go back home with Nana and Papaw."

She pointed to the elderly couple and the Doctor waved at them when they waved. He gave Alison a hug.

"Goodbye, my bestest buddy!"

"I'll see you later and don't worry, I'll be with you and watching over ya till you come here for real."

The Doctor held her tightly and felt an overwhelming sense of peace and joy wash over him.

"I love you," Alison said to him seconds before he woke up.

Once he was awake, the feeling of serenity stayed with him and he felt calm and refreshed as he got out of bed. He walked over to his chest of drawers and picked up Lamb Lamb who was sitting on the top. He held it to his chest for a moment.

"One more party," he said softly to himself. "One last time to have some fun and then I'll go see what the Ood want, my little spit brother, I promise."

He put Lamb Lamb back on his dresser and patted its head, gazing upon it for a moment before he headed to the bedroom door. Turning out the light, he left the room and closed it behind him.

THE END.


End file.
